The Rosene Family Blog

A few times, I’ve teased Jolene about not being able to keep a secret.

She’s so cute. She gets excited about something nice she’s planning to do for me and lets out little hints (or big ones) that lessen the surprise. Not that I’m complaining. Such hints also increase the excitement of the anticipation, which is probably the real reason she does this. I’m not entirely sure, but this adds to her mystery – another of Jolene’s many fine qualities. But I digress…

I thought I was going to her house this evening for a meal to thank her mom and stepdad for their contribution to our wedding. She played along even to the point of letting me buy the thank you card. Boy was I surprised when I came through the door to a room full of balloons and party favors.

It wasn’t enough that she’s already prepared one of my favorite meals on my actual birthday, nor that she took me out to eat the day before my birthday. She also invited several family and friends, baked a cake shaped like a rocket ship (I’m still an astronaut kid at heart), and even organized to have my friends in Thailand and New Zealand sign birthday cards!

It was a very special day – and another reminder of what a great gal I’m about to call my wife!

It was my great privilege to take Jolene, Trey & Paige to their first-ever parade – that is, unless you count the Christmas parade in little Phelps, New York which we all abandoned for some hot chocolate at my house because it was so unbearably cold.

Thankfully, Rochester was a little warmer for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. And rather than just a few cars and firetrucks with Christmas lights, this parade had a bit of everything: leprechauns, dogs, horses, vehicles of every shape and size, a brass band, bagpipes, dancers, and even a confetti cannon.

We even saw some “famous” people: our local TV weatherman, congressman Charles Schumer, the mayor, and a few others I can’t think of right now.

Still, I’d have to say the highlight for me was simply enjoying the time together. Seeing the kids so excited before the trip, not knowing what their “surprise” was going to be, carrying them on my shoulders so they could have a bird’s eye view, laughing together at some of the parade highlights, hugging each other for warmth when the sun disappeared and the cold wind started to blow.  We all had such a great time.

I look forward to making many more memories like this together as a family in the years to come.

To view the rest of the parade photos, click here.

To view Trey & Paige’s photos, which they each took on their disposable cameras, come by for a visit!

I made Share Bag!

When I was a kid, it was called Show & Tell, but apparently it’s Share Bag now. The kids take turns bringing home a bag from school in which they are to put something they can take back to school and show their entire class.

Paige decided for her Share Bag, she was going to bring a picture of me. She wanted her class to know who her new step-dad was going to be.

Isn’t that adorable?

Perhaps one of the most nerve-racking things about moving into a more serious relationship is the anticipation of meeting your significant other’s family – and then navigating the various obstacles that may come with becoming accepted by them, connecting with them and becoming a part of the new family.  Jolene and I could each make a case for who was more nervous about this.

My first interaction with Jolene’s family was at Thanksgiving. (She met my family at Christmas.)  I quickly found I liked them, and also quickly felt accepted by them.  I cannot tell you how much we laughed, telling stories, playing games, and looking at old photos, etc.  We had such  great time together, we accepted an invitation by two of Jolene’s siblings to meet again over spring break at Myrtle Beach (which is why the wedding that we later planned is in Myrtle Beach, in case you were wondering.)

Today was another “family day.”  Jolene’s nephew, Ethan, had his 9th birthday so we all gathered at grandma’s house for a birthday lunch and some fun in the snow.  In addition to zipping around on snowmobiles, we enjoyed snowball fights and built a snowman.

All in all, it was a fantastic day that reminded me again how blessed I am – not only to marry my beautiful bride, but also to join her pretty fantastic family.

Pictured above: The kids – Hunter, Trey, Ethan & Paige